Department of Justice Canada

This study was undertaken by the Department of Justice Canada to better understand how Gladue reports are being prepared across the country and how they and Gladue principles are being considered by the courts. The study involved an environmental scan of public websites and a review of 530 cases...

The Department of Justice Canada has been leading efforts to modernize the federal Privacy Act, which is a key piece of Canada’s legal framework for protecting privacy interests. As part of this work, Justice Canada undertook an initial engagement with Indigenous governments and organizations...

Youth believed victims require more attention and support from the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Victims should be aware of their rights, have an opportunity to tell their stories, and receive some form of restitution for the harm experienced.

This fact sheet is based on data obtained through special requests to Correctional Service Canada (CSC) and Statistics Canada (Census). It examines the number and rate of federal adult offenders under community supervision over time, and draws comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous...

This Litigation Year in Review 2016 is intended to provide Canadians with some highlights of the progress we made this past year in several important areas of litigation. In reviewing and rethinking the Government’s litigation strategy over the course of 2016, I focused on three main themes:...

This Research in Brief is based on publicly available data from a number of Justice Canada, Canadian government (federal and provincial/territorial), academic and community organization studies and publications released from 2009 to 2018, as well as information from various media sources....

The purpose of the national Indigenous Courtwork (ICW) Program evaluation is to examine the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the Program, in accordance with the Treasury Board 2016 Policy on Results. The ICW Program has been evaluated three times in the past ten years.

How Does Canada's Court System Work details the different levels of courts that exist within Canada's justice system, the means of organization of the courts and the roles each levels of the judiciary play. It speaks to the alternative methods for dispute resolution that exist including...

What we found: Young people believed that an accused should remain in the community on bail for all types of offences (with some conditions) while awaiting trial instead of being remanded to jail. Youth thought that accused persons should have greater support to help them meet reasonable bail...

Youth want a criminal justice system (CJS) that shows empathy and takes into consideration the circumstances of individuals before and during sentencing. Youth feel that the CJS should use more alternatives to incarceration that are community-based, restorative and place a focus on...

Reader's Note: This publication presents results of an online public opinion survey completed by a sample of Canadians who received an invitation through email, Facebook and Twitter (called "open link" sample; see method for more details). This survey mirrored a survey conducted with a...

Canadians indicated that they are not very familiar with restorative justice (RJ), but after receiving an explanation, the majority of Canadians support the use of RJ and see the process as an effective way to repair the harms caused by crime. What we also found: Most Canadians (87%) indicated...

Readers Note: This publication presents results of an online public opinion survey completed by a sample of Canadians who received an invitation through email, Facebook and Twitter (called an "open link" sample; see Method for more details). This survey mirrored a survey conducted with a...

Canadians are largely supportive of problem-solving approaches to crime, and most want offenders to have access to initiatives that seek to address the 'root causes' of crime based on an offender's unique needs. What we also found: The majority of Canadians (88%) believe that the criminal...

In general, Canadians are not supportive of the current mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) regime and prefer a more individualized approach to sentencing. We also found: Most Canadians indicated that they have a low to moderate level of knowledge of MMPs (52% low and 28% moderate). Over three...

Most Canadians believe that diversion of accused from the courts in appropriate cases should be the preferred response to at least some types of offences/situations. They also believe that increased use of diversion could make the criminal justice system (CJS) more efficient and effective and...

The majority of Canadians believe that judges should have at least some degree of discretion and flexibility when deciding a sentence. What we also found: The overwhelming majority of Canadians (95%) felt that the best approach for determining fair and appropriate sentences for offenders...

The Directive on Civil Litigation Involving Indigenous Peoples will guide the Government of Canada’s legal approaches, positions and decisions taken in civil litigation involving Aboriginal and treaty rights, and the Crown’s obligation towards Indigenous peoples. The Directive is part of the...

This fact sheet is based on publicly available data from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) between 2006/2007 and 2016/2017. Data is also presented from the Department of Justice Canada’s Justice Effectiveness 2008 (JE) project that collected data to specifically analyze case...

Restorative Justice (RJ) is an approach to justice that focuses on addressing the harm caused by crime while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions, by providing an opportunity for those directly affected by crime – victims, offenders and communities – to identify and address...